Among the fish populations that could be harmed by the Xayaburi dam in Laos is the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish, considered by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the world’s largest freshwater fish. The fish, which grows to 650 pounds and about 10 feet long, is only found in the Mekong River. It is migratory, moving between downstream habitats in Cambodia upstream to northern Thailand and Laos each year to spawn. Some experts fear the Xayaburi dam could block the migration and drive the giant catfish to extinction. (Photo by Courtesy of Zeb Hogan/University of Nevada, Reno)

Aerial view of a giant sinkhole on June 09, 2021 in Santa María Zacatepec, Mexico. The giant sinkhole is located 20 kilometers northwest from the capital city Puebla, the hole now measures 110 meters across its widest point, covering around 11,000 square meters and damaging a house built near the place where it appeared. Farmers of the surroundings have been affected since they are not allowed to enter their fields due to the warning perimeter set up by the authorities. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

A woman enjoys the sun at Plaka beach on the Aegean island of Naxos, Greece, Friday, May 14, 2021. Greece launched its tourism season Friday amid a competitive scramble across the Mediterranean to lure vacationers emerging from lockdowns. (Photo by Thanassis Stavrakis/AP Photo)

The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) is seen in the sky in Ivalo of Lapland, Finland on September 27, 2019. (Photo by Alexander Kuznetsov/Reuters)

Marc Berthod of Switzerland during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Men's Super Combined on February 12, 2012 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Vianney Thibaut/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

A girl plays at the West Side Hallo Fest, a Halloween festival in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, October 27, 2023. Tens of thousands streamed last weekend to Bucharest's Angels' Island peninsula for what was the biggest Halloween festival in the Eastern European nation since the fall of Communism. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

Aidan Thomas wears a Smokey Bear t-shirt as he watches smoke from the Airport Fire rise behind Meander Lane in Trabuco Canyon, Calif., on Monday, September 9, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP Photo)

Waves hit the seawall during heavy seas and high winds in Dawlish in south west Britain, February 2, 2017. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)